Inflatable dinghy systems



Oct. 19, 1965 Filed July 5, 1963 B. R. A. REFFELL INFLATABLE DINGHY SYSTEMS S Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 19, 1965 R. A. REFFELL INFLATABLE DINGHY SYSTEMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1963 Oct. 19, 1965 REFFELL 3,212,112

INFLATABLE DINGHY SYSTEMS Filed July 5, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,212,112 INFLATABLE DINGHY SYSTEMS Brian Richard Arnold Retiell, Southall, England, assignor to The Walter Kidde Company Limited, Northolt, Greenford, England, a British company Filed July 5, 1963, Ser. No. 292,833

3 Claims. (Cl. 9-11) The present invention relates to automatically inflatable dinghy systems and in particular it relates to a system in which an inflatable dinghy, carried in a folded condition upon the person of an airman, is provided with means, by which it is automatically inflated upon immersion in water. Such means release gas from a storage container and is triggered by the action of water upon a water-sensitive element forming part of such means. One system of the above type, described in Patent No. 3,080,582, March 12, 1963, includes an automatically inflatable dinghy, which is held in a packed, uninflated condition in a pack cover, which is automatically released before the inflation of the dinghy can be commenced. To permit the dinghy to be released the pack cover has one or more catches, each of which is automatically released by the movement of a piston in a cylinder under the pressure of gas released from a storage container by the gas release means. When the catch is engaged, the piston obstructs the passage of gas to a high pressure small diameter tube, secured to the periphery of the main buoyancy tube of the dinghy, but the movement of the piston to the catch-released position permits gas to pass to inflate the high pressure tube. Such inflation being effective to unfold the dinghy. Inflation of the main buoyancy tube is initiated at a short interval after the inflation of the high pressure tube to permit the unfolding of the dinghy to be completed before the inflation of the buoyancy tube is commenced. The buoyancy tube is inflated from a separate gas storage from that used to inflate the high pressure tube.

The packed dinghy in its cover is secured to the airman, so that it does not become separated from him during descent, the dinghy pack cover being secured to or being partially formed of a seat top, on which the airman is actually seated and being secured to the dinghy itself so that the dinghy cannot slip away from under the airman during unfolding.

'One objection to an inflatable dinghy system of the above described type is that it places the user in a position of very grave danger in the unlikely event of the dinghy being inflated in an inverted position, in which case the user may be trapped beneath it. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to obviate this objection.

When an airman descends by parachute into water, he almost always lands in a sitting position and this is the correct position for satisfactory operation of the automatically inflatable dinghy system above described and it is therefore convenient and desirable that the dinghy should remain attached to the airman through the pack cover during the period, in which it is unfolded. However, after unfolding, because of the possibility of the dinghy capsizing during inflation of the buoyancy tube or of the airman being in a face-down position on landing in the water, it is much safer for the airman to be separated from the dinghy.

According to the present invention there is provided an automatically inflatable dinghy system of the type in which the folded dinghy is carried in a pack cover, which includes a harness to secure the pack cover to the user, pressure-releasable catch means connecting said harness to said pack cover and means for supplying gas under pressure to said pressure releasable catch means at an 3,212,112 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 interval after release of the folded dinghy from the pack cover. In a system in which the buoyancy tube is inflated by the release of gas from a storage at a short time interval after the release of gas from a separate storage to a high pressure tube, attached to the buoyancy tube for unfolding the dinghy, the pressure releasable catches of the harness are actuated by the release of gas to inflate the buoyancy tube.

Preferably the harness comprises a plurality of transverse straps, each of which is provided with a pair of pressure-releasable catches, one at each side of the seat top, so that the seat top and pack cover separate completely from the user on inflation of the buoyancy tube. The user is thus completely free of the dinghy in the event of its being inflated in an inverted position.

Preferably the pressure-releasable catches are secured on the underside of the seat top in a ring main system, to which gas is supplied from the buoyancy tube inflation system, through a gas distributor fitting, which incorporates a non-return valve. From the distributor fitting the gas is admitted to a ring main, in which the pressure-releasable catches are connected, so that all such catches are subjected to the same pressure and all are actuated substantially simultaneously.

One inflatable dinghy system constructed in accordance with the present invention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a diagram of the ring main system incorporating the pressure releasable harness catches as seen from the underside of the seat cover.

FIGURE 2 shows diagrammatically the arrangement of a harness and the seat top and dinghy pack cover.

FIGURE 3 shows diagrammatically a dinghy inflation system which is stored in a pack cover equipped with the pressure releasable harness catches of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 it will be seen that four pressure releasable catches 1 are positioned in a ring main 2, to which gas is admitted from a distribution unit 3, which comprises a body 4, having an inlet 5, a conventional non-return valve 6 of the type commonly used in vehicle tyres and a branched outlet 7 for connection to the two ends of the ring.

Each catch 1 comprises a bolt 8, for engagement with an eye on the end of a harness strap 22. Each bolt 8 is provided with an integral piston 10 movable in a cylinder 11, formed in the body 12 of the catch. The cylinder is provided with a pair of gas ports 14 near the head end of the cylinder 11 to permit it to be connected in the ring main 2. The bolt 8 passes through the head end of the cylinder 11 through an O-ring seal 15. The projecting end of the bolt traverses a slot 16, formed in the body 12 to receive the harness eye 9, when the piston is positioned close to the head end of the cylinder 11. The travel of the piston 10 on admission of gas under pressure is suflicient to withdraw the bolt from the slot 16 before the 'piston 10 is stopped by an end member 17, in which the tail end of the bolt member 8 is guided. The non-return valve 6 in the distributor fitting 3 maintains pressure in the ring main 2 and thus prevents any immediate return of the bolts 8 to a latching positioned after the admission of gas under pressure to the ring main system.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, the thighs of the airman are indicated diagrammatically at 20, seated on a seat top 21, to which the catches 1 are secured as shown in FIG. 1. The seat top 21 is secured to the airman by harness straps 22, which carry the eyes 9 engaged by the bolts 8 of the catches 1 in the manner already explained above.

The seat top 21 forms the top part of a releasable dinghy pack cover 23, which is attached to a dinghy 24 packed therein.

In FIGURE 3 there is illustrated an inflatable dinghy system to which the harness release system of the present invention may be applied.

The inflatable dinghy comprises a floor 31 and a peripheral, low pressure, buoyancy tube 32 in a conventional manner. A flexible tube 33, adapted to withstand an internal pressure of, say, 100 pounds per square inch, is secured around the periphery of the buoyancy tube 32.

The dinghy is ordinarily packed in an uninflated folded condition within a releasable pack cover. The clasp or catch of the pack cover 23 is indicated diagrammatically at 34.

The release of the pack cover catch 34 and the inflation of the high pressure tube 33 is effected by the release of gas from a storage container 36, the contents of which are carefully matched to the capacity of the high pressure tube 33. The release of gas from the container 36 is effected by a water-actuated release device 37 such as disclosed in Patent No. 3,080,582, and which includes a soluble plug 45, held shrouded against the entrance of water until a lock is withdrawn by a line 38, usually secured to the ejector seat of the aircraft, so that the shroud lock is withdrawn as soon as the airman separates from his ejector seat.

The actuation of the release device 37 to effect release of gas from the container 36 is timed to take place after approximately fifteen seconds immersion. The release of gas actuates a dinghy pack clasp release device 39, which prevents admission of gas to the high pressure tube 33 until the pack cover clasp has been released. The gas from the storage container 36 then enters the tube 33 and inflates it to a high pressure and simultaneously unrolls the dinghy from its folded condition. When the pressure of gas in the tube 33 has risen to a predetermined value it is effective to lift shrouds 40 of water-operated release devices 41 to expose soluble plugs 45 in the devices 41 and these plugs are timed to dissolve and collapse after about thirty seconds immersion to permit the devices to release gas from storage containers 42 as disclosed in Patent No. 3,080,582. The gas from the containers 42 enters the buoyancy tube 32 through non-return valves 44 of conventional design.

The water-operated release devices 41 act to impose a time delay between the admission of gas to the high pressure tube 33 from the storage 36 and the admission of gas to the buoyancy tube 32 so that there is a suflicient time interval to allow the dinghy to unfold before inflation of the buoyancy tube commences.

Although two storage containers 42 are shown it is perfectly possible to employ a single container, which is employed to inflate the buoyancy tube, the gas entering 4 the buoyancy tube at a single point at the foot end of the tube.

The distribution unit 3 (FIG. 1) of the ring main 2 is preferably connected by a line 46 to receive gas from a line leading from a storage cylinder 42 (FIG. 3) to the associated non-return valve 44, which is preferably springloaded to permit the required pressure to be built up in the ring main 2.

I claim:

1. An automatically inflatable dinghy system comprising a pack cover for holding a dinghy in a folded condition including a top part providing a seat for a person, a harness for holding the person on the seat including strap means, a plurality of gas pressure operated catch means for releasably securing said strap means on said top part, conduit means mounted on said top part for supplying gas to all of said catch means to effect simultaneous operation thereof, an inflatable dinghy in said pack cover including an inflatable buoyancy tube and an inflatable dinghy unfolding tube, a first source of gas under pressure for effecting inflation of said unfolding tube, a second source of gas under pressure for effecting inflation of said buoyancy tube and operation of said catch means including fluid flow connections from said second source to said buoyancy tube and to said conduit means, and control means operatively associated with said first and second sources for first effecting inflation of said unfolding tube and thereafter effecting inflation of said buoyancy tube and operation of said catch means, whereby the person held by said harness is released as said buoyancy tube is inflated.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said catch means are at each lateral side of said top part and said conduit means is a ring having an inlet in fluid flow communication with all of said catch means.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said catch means and said ring are mounted on the underside of said top part.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,390,199 12/45 Walsh 911 X 2,467,037 4/49 Kajdan 911 X 2,609,549 9/52 Krupp 911 2,725,097 11/55 Thoreson 244-122 X 2,754,073 7/56 Holm et al. 244-122 2,763,451 9/56 Moran 244122 2,821,725 2/58 Harper 99 3,107,370 10/63 Gaylord 9-11 FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN AUTOMATICALLY INFLATABLE DINGHY SYSTEM COMPRISING A PACK COVER FOR HOLDING A DINGHY IN A FOLDED CONDITION INCLUDING A TOP PART PROVIDING A SEAT FOR A PERSON, A HARNESS FOR HOLDING THE PERSON ON THE SEAT INCLUDING STRAP MEANS, A PLURALITY OF GAS PRESSURE OPERATED CATCH MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SECURING SAID STRAP MEANS ON SAID TOP PART, CONDUIT MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TOP PART FOR SUPPLYING GAS TO ALL OF SAID CATCH MEANS TO EFFECT SIMULTANEOUS OPERATION THEREOF, AN INFLATABLE DINGHY IN SAID PACK COVER INCLUDING AN INFLATABLE NUOYANCY TUBE AND AN INFLATABLE DINGHY UNFOLDING TUBE, A FIRST SOURCE OF GAS UNDER PRESSURE FOR EFFECTING INFLATION OF SAID UNFOLDING TUBE, A SECOND SOURCE OF GAS UNDER PRESSURE FOR EFFECTING INFLATION OF SAID BUOYANCY TUBE AND OPERATION OF SAID CATCH MEANS INCLUDING FLUID FLOW CONNECTIONS FROM SAID SECOND SOURCE TO SAID BUOYANCY TUBE AND TO SAID CONDUIT 